EDITOR:
I am writing as a Platte City resident and engaged member of this community regarding the Highway 92 project decision.
More than 500 residents signed a petition urging the city to reconsider the current design plan and instead maintain full access with a center turn lane. That number represents real families, business owners, taxpayers, and voters who care deeply about how this project will affect traffic flow, safety, and these businesses. When that many people speak up, their voices deserve meaningful consideration.
City Administrator Bryan Richison has stated, “The city’s goal is for this road to be safe. It’s our number one priority. We want to make sure that we do the best we can to protect motorists.” Safety should absolutely be the priority — no one disputes that.
However, Mr. Richison also stated, “Based upon the information that we have, that we are building the safest road possible given our options, and we think that a change to what the business owner has expressed will be less safe, and that is just not something that we are willing to do.”
That raises important questions. MoDOT would not present an option that is inherently unsafe. Both proposals were developed by professional engineers and transportation experts.
Who within Platte City holds the specific technical expertise to determine that one MoDOT-designed option is definitively safer than another? And if that determination has been made, why has the comparative safety data not been transparently shared with the public?
This project will shape Highway 92 — one of our community’s primary corridors — for decades. Decisions of this magnitude must balance safety, accessibility, and economic sustainability. Business owners along this stretch are not asking for an unsafe design; they are asking for access that keeps their doors open and their customers able to reach them.
Platte City thrives when leadership listens. I urge city officials to pause, listen, and ensure the final decision reflects both safety and the collective voice of the community.
--Amber Brune
Platte City